DHAKA: Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd announced he would step down as Labor chief after a heavy defeat to the conservatives in national elections on Saturday following years of leadership ructions.

‘I will not be recontesting the leadership of the parliamentary Labor Party,’ Rudd said in his concession speech.

‘The Australian people I believe deserve a fresh start with our leadership,’ he added, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1838 HRS, SEPT 07, 2013
RoR/SRS